The Reasons Why
by The Legend of Rune Factory
Summary: Lt. Logan Brannigan was once a crapshooter. But now, he patrols the streets of New York in an effort to rid it of the game he once loved. Why did he change? Why did he suddenly become a goody two-shoes? The answer lies with his visit to Miss Sarah Brown after the raid on the Save-A-Soul Mission. Takes place after "I've Never Been In Love Before" but before "More I Cannot Wish You".


**My school is putting on "Guys & Dolls" as our spring musical, and it occurred to us that Lt. Brannigan used to be a crap shooter. I began to wonder why exactly he turned to being a policeman instead, and I decided it was due to the fact that he wanted to impress Sarah. I used the appearances from the students playing the respective parts at my school, and gave Brannigan a first name: Logan.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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It rained that night. Well, that morning around four thirty. Brannigan had his hands deep in his pockets as he walked around the block again. His beige hat sat far back on the messy blonde hair decorating his head. He kept his icy eyes glued to the wet pavement as he trudged along, trying to pluck up the courage to go in.

_"Everyone is welcome at the Mission."_

He heard her say that after he doubled back to make sure she wasn't in trouble. Sergeant Sarah Brown's safety concerned him more than a bunch of crapshooters he couldn't catch. He, as did probably half the street, heard her shouting at Sky Masterson about the abomination of crapshooters in her mission. Her _mission_ of all places.

Brannigan knew she probably wouldn't answer the door even if he did want to go visit her, just to make sure she was all right. Most likely she was asleep; it wasn't often he found her wandering around with the rest of the Band past ten. Being up into the dawn hours of the morning would take a lot of energy from her.

As he pondered this, he realized suddenly that he stood at the door to the Save-A-Soul Mission. His feet finally made up his mind for him, whether he liked it or not. _No use going around again…_ With a deep breath, he raised his hand to knock on the brown wooden door.

To his disappointment, her aunt opened it. She was a short old lady, a bit round but very kind. Ava Abernathy smiled widely. "Why, Lieutenant Brannigan! What a wonderful surprise."

He tipped his hat and held it in his hands. "Good afternoon. Ah… I was hoping I could see Miss Sarah."

She turned her head to look back into the darkened mission. "Sarah?"

"Who is it?" came the slurred reply.

Ava sighed softly. "I'm afraid you'll have to excuse her. She had quite a…wild night last." She turned again. "Sarah, Mr. Brannigan is here to see you."

"All right… Let him in."

She ushered the officer into the Mission. At the lone desk, he saw Sarah sitting with the window drapes closed and her lamp on. A glass of water sat within reach. Her Bible lay before her, opened, but even he could tell she wasn't really reading it. She held her head in her hands as she breathed slowly.

Her aunt excused herself to the Mission kitchen, leaving the two alone. Brannigan began to clear his throat.

"_Don't._"

"Excuse me?"

"Please… Try to stay quiet…" She picked up the blue-framed glasses and slid them onto her face. "I have a terrible headache."

He pulled up a chair to sit in front of her on the opposite side of her desk. "What did you do last night?" He whispered.

"I went…to Cuba." Sarah's cobalt blue eyes closed as she moaned. "I went to Cuba! I went to Cuba while Sky's friends all shot crap here!"

Brannigan looked around and saw just a bit of the mess they made. Chairs were overturned, _something_ was splattered on the far wall, and one of the bulbs in the overhead light fixture was shattered. He could only assume that they had been hard at work cleaning since getting back from their all-night sermons.

When he gazed back at her, he saw silent tears rolling down her face. Her golden-red hair was not in its usual bun, instead tied into a low ponytail at the base of her neck, and loose strands were sticking to her cheeks. "Sarah?"

"I… I never should have gone…" She sniffled, wiping her nose on the back of the white sleeve of her button-down shirt. "I never should have allowed Sky to… I should have kicked him out of the mission as soon as he walked in! Then I never would have been in this mess!" She sunk down on the desk, burying her head into her arms as she sobbed.

Lieutenant Brannigan sat in shock as he watched her. "Sarah… It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

She looked up at him. "It still hurts…"

His gaze softened as he stared at her. She whimpered, the tears still leaking from her eyes. "Am I…a bad person?" Her voice cracked as he asked him.

"No!"

She winced. "Ow…"

"I mean, no… Sarah, you're not a bad person. We all make mistakes. Just because you make one silly little—"

"It's wasn't silly and it most definitely was not _little_. I went to Cuba, got drunk, and I come back to a full-blown crap game going on!" She stood up, slamming her chair into the desk so hard it fell back against the ground.

"Sarah, calm down!" He leapt up to grip her arms. "This isn't like you. What did he do to you?"

Sarah Brown looked up into his face. Her own was streaked with tears and the wild strands of red and blonde hair. "He…kissed me."

Logan Brannigan's eyes widened. He could specifically remember her saying, many times, _"The man I love will not be a gambler."_ If Sky Masterson kissed her, did that mean… "Did you let him?"

She nodded weakly. "I thought I loved him."

"Do you?"

She didn't answer; rather, she forced herself into his arms as more sobs wracked her frame. He could only take that as a yes. Brannigan felt a part of his heart break. Since the first time he saw her, from the first time he walked by the decrepit building and she was fixing it up into the Mission, he knew that he wanted her to be his doll. But he also knew that she would never go for a gambler.

As soon as he found out what kind of person the Sergeant _would_ go for, Logan worked his hardest to become that guy. He quit the gangster scene and the crap games to trade in his fedora for a cop's hat. Nathan Detroit and the others weren't too happy with him, but he knew they would never understand. Not even Detroit, who had been "madly in love" with Adelaide for the past decade.

Logan tightened his arms around her as her breathing evened out and she finished crying. "So… The man you love is a gambler."

"The man I love…" She looked up at him. "The man I love is a gambler. That's right." Sarah pushed away from him. "No matter how I slice it, I still love him."

He placed his hands on her shoulders. He sighed heavily before releasing her and reaching for his hat on her desk. "I see."

"Brannigan, why did you come here?" She bent to pick up the chair. "I forgot to ask, what with everything else going on. Can I help you?"

The officer turned to let himself out. "No, Miss Sarah. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"That's very sweet of you."

He turned his head slightly to see her smiling and brushing the hair from her face. "Thank you. Take care of yourself." He turned back around and opened the door.

"Come back anytime."

"I wish I could, Sarah…"

"Hm?"

He stepped outside and closed the door behind him decidedly. Looking both ways down the street, he then crossed to the opposite side and continued with his rounds. Perhaps someday he'd tell her. Someday he'd tell Sergeant Sarah Brown how she single-handedly converted a gangster to the better side of life.

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**Reviews are appreciated!  
**

**-LoRF**


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